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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Boys will be boys
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All Together!
It was a super special reunion yesterday! It took a bit of time for Nate to let everything sink in. Talk about stimulation overload....Brady, Grandma and Grandpa! But it was all good! It was fun seeing everything for the first time through Brady's eyes. And he was so endearing to Nate, stroking his head and talking to him in a cute baby voice, asking him different questions. It was all very cute! And I got to snuggle with my Brady!
As far as Nate goes, it feels like it is amost time to go home. I overhead one doctor on rounds this morning saying maybe tomorrow. Then, on the second set of rounds, another doctor said he's not "great" yet. And if I sound like a broken record, sorry, but they're still trying to balance out fluids and meds. After all this time of trying to get him 'drier', apparently yesterday he was too dry and went on IV from 9pm to 6am. His appetite is getting better! He still has meals which he's not too interested in, but the next time he eats pretty well. They'll do another echo and a 3D echo to check his valve to help in determining baseline for future surgery. Bloodwork is also due for tomorrow to see where things are at!
I haven't had too much time for photo ops, rather just enjoying the moments, but here is one from yesterday.
As far as Nate goes, it feels like it is amost time to go home. I overhead one doctor on rounds this morning saying maybe tomorrow. Then, on the second set of rounds, another doctor said he's not "great" yet. And if I sound like a broken record, sorry, but they're still trying to balance out fluids and meds. After all this time of trying to get him 'drier', apparently yesterday he was too dry and went on IV from 9pm to 6am. His appetite is getting better! He still has meals which he's not too interested in, but the next time he eats pretty well. They'll do another echo and a 3D echo to check his valve to help in determining baseline for future surgery. Bloodwork is also due for tomorrow to see where things are at!
I haven't had too much time for photo ops, rather just enjoying the moments, but here is one from yesterday.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A Photo Post
Our visit with Sally
Opening up the treats and cards
A little gem that we found tucked away in Neuro....it's called The Healing Garden
Always have to make sure we have money for Nate to throw in to the 2 water features....although Don has been known to scoop some out from the bottom when we run out!
The entrance to the Cardiology ward on the 4th floor.
The view from where I was standing on the pedway in the above picture; one of the cafeterias.
Lots of features suspended from the ceilings...we always have to walk past this one too.
The play area for patients, called The Beach. Makes a kid feel a bit more normal!
Helping Nate fall asleep for an afternoon nap.
Always have to laugh when the meds are delivered in a french fry container!
A little glimpse into what we see everyday, and has become our everyday home...for now!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Visitors!
We were so surprised when we heard that Sally, from our church back home, was flying in to see us for the day! She had a super early morning to get here just after eight. It was so great to just visit and for her to get a little sense of what life is like here. The time spent in prayer was very special to us! She also brought with her a HUGE stack of some very special cards, handmade by the Sunday School kids, which Nate loved looking at! All the stickers and pictures and notes written by the kids warmed our hearts and gave Nate lots to look at! Thank you, Sally, and WMBC, for thinking of us letting us know how much you care!
Our second visitor was a stranger to us when we met him, but left as a friend! Through a mutual contact back in Winkler (thanks Olferts!), Chris, a pastor of a local church, came to the hospital to meet us. It was great getting to know him and about his very musical family! It's so great to feel connected in this community of faith and just knowing people who will be there for you if you need them! I'm looking forward to listening to his family's 'just released' CD!
And....the third visitor isn't actually here yet, but they're on their way!! My mom and dad are coming out again and guess who is with them! It's my Brady!!! Can't wait to see them tomorrow! Doesn't feel quite real!
As for Nate, his day was pretty good! Still has fluid around his heart, so the echo - which will now be tomorrow - should shed some light on where that's at. It's still going to be a while here, so that's the reason for visitor #3!! Nate's hemoglobin was really low (74!), so this afternoon he got a blood transfusion. That's the best way to get that number up quickly, short of eating a few pounds of spinach! It took about four hours to infuse, but thankfully we were still able to be mobile during most of that time!
Time for me to put my thumbs to rest - blogging is a bit more tedious when you're doing it on a BB! Tonight is my night at the hospital, which is fine by me, because that means tomorrow night I can snuggle with my Brady!!
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Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday Morning Check In
Just a quick note today. I spent the night at the hospital last night and came here to the hotel to have a nap at 8am this morning, so I'm heading back to Nate now.
Not much new happened yesterday. They are noticing Nate getting a bit puffy again, a result of not peeing enough, probably because of the change from the IV to oral Lasix. They gave an extra dose during the night and are going to reassess this morning. Praying that he'll start peeing on his own, without the need of extra Lasix.
Saturday is not a usual rounding kind of day, but I did run into both the cardiologist and Dr. Rebeyka in the halls throughout the day. They both speak cautiously of where Nate is at both hemodynamically and otherwise.
I compare it to a road trip with kids. They always want to know, "are we there yet?", and as parents we try to be honest and put it in perspective. I'm personally trying not to be one of those kids asking the Dr's everyday, "are we there yet?", first, because they don't know either, and secondly, I think they may find that kind of annoying!
Not much new happened yesterday. They are noticing Nate getting a bit puffy again, a result of not peeing enough, probably because of the change from the IV to oral Lasix. They gave an extra dose during the night and are going to reassess this morning. Praying that he'll start peeing on his own, without the need of extra Lasix.
Saturday is not a usual rounding kind of day, but I did run into both the cardiologist and Dr. Rebeyka in the halls throughout the day. They both speak cautiously of where Nate is at both hemodynamically and otherwise.
I compare it to a road trip with kids. They always want to know, "are we there yet?", and as parents we try to be honest and put it in perspective. I'm personally trying not to be one of those kids asking the Dr's everyday, "are we there yet?", first, because they don't know either, and secondly, I think they may find that kind of annoying!
Another note - remember when Nate's surgery was cancelled the second time, on that Friday, for a child who needed a Berlin (artificial) heart? Well, Nate is now roomies with that cute little one year old. It was neat telling the mom how there was a small army of my friends and family praying for Dr. Rebeyka that morning, not knowing that it wasn't Nate in surgery at that time!
Praying you all have a great day today!
Friday, March 26, 2010
No real answers...yet!
Today was a pretty good day. Nate had half a serving of cornflakes this morning! Boy, was I pumped. But...then we gave him one of his meds and he threw it up. At least he did want to eat in the beginning!
He did great for his echo, ie. no sedation required. When the dr. came by on rounds he still hadn't seen the echo results. He said he'd stop by after he got them. He is being very careful in changing meds and trying to get on a regime that will work for when we go home. I've noticed that words that I keep hearing from him when he's talking about Nate are 'complex' and 'delicate'. That's pretty evident, as even very small changes in meds seem to snowball very quickly and become evident in other aspects of his health.
As far as time frame, we never get a straight answer, and rightly so, since everything really is day by day here. One clue he did give me is that the med he wants Nate to be on to reduce the inflammation around his heart, he'd want to give for 10 days, and we're on day 3. But then late in the afternoon the discharge nurse came to our room to go over discharge instructions just in case anything happened during the weekend or early next week, since she doesn't work on the weekends. Then she said we also shouldn't get our hopes up. But, boy, do I ever love the word discharge!! Sometimes what they do is discharge you from hospital, but ask you to stay in Edmonton for a few days so they can check up on things, other times they send you right home.
We never made contact with the dr. later in the day to go over how the echo went, so I'm not too sure where we're at! So we'll just keep doing what we're doing. Nate's been doing so much better - he has his moments as well, and is pretty selective and determined in what he does/does not eat. He had a quarter of a sandwich at lunch, but nothing really at supper. Today, he finally started enjoying a chocolate Ensure beverage, which the dietitian was hoping he'd take, so we know he's getting a few more nutrients. Towards the end of the evening, his cough started sounding wetter, with a bit more grunting; most likely from switching his Lasix from IV to oral. They are also concerned that he is only peeing from Lasix and not really on his own. Sorry it it's too much info., but it's actually kind of important!!
Today is my night to sleep at the hotel and I'm mostly looking forward to it! Nights in the hospital with Nate are pretty much what you'd expect them to be! Don is such a great dad and is taking the night shift today!
Here's a picture of one of the happiest I've seen Nate in the last few weeks.
He did great for his echo, ie. no sedation required. When the dr. came by on rounds he still hadn't seen the echo results. He said he'd stop by after he got them. He is being very careful in changing meds and trying to get on a regime that will work for when we go home. I've noticed that words that I keep hearing from him when he's talking about Nate are 'complex' and 'delicate'. That's pretty evident, as even very small changes in meds seem to snowball very quickly and become evident in other aspects of his health.
As far as time frame, we never get a straight answer, and rightly so, since everything really is day by day here. One clue he did give me is that the med he wants Nate to be on to reduce the inflammation around his heart, he'd want to give for 10 days, and we're on day 3. But then late in the afternoon the discharge nurse came to our room to go over discharge instructions just in case anything happened during the weekend or early next week, since she doesn't work on the weekends. Then she said we also shouldn't get our hopes up. But, boy, do I ever love the word discharge!! Sometimes what they do is discharge you from hospital, but ask you to stay in Edmonton for a few days so they can check up on things, other times they send you right home.
We never made contact with the dr. later in the day to go over how the echo went, so I'm not too sure where we're at! So we'll just keep doing what we're doing. Nate's been doing so much better - he has his moments as well, and is pretty selective and determined in what he does/does not eat. He had a quarter of a sandwich at lunch, but nothing really at supper. Today, he finally started enjoying a chocolate Ensure beverage, which the dietitian was hoping he'd take, so we know he's getting a few more nutrients. Towards the end of the evening, his cough started sounding wetter, with a bit more grunting; most likely from switching his Lasix from IV to oral. They are also concerned that he is only peeing from Lasix and not really on his own. Sorry it it's too much info., but it's actually kind of important!!
Today is my night to sleep at the hotel and I'm mostly looking forward to it! Nights in the hospital with Nate are pretty much what you'd expect them to be! Don is such a great dad and is taking the night shift today!
Here's a picture of one of the happiest I've seen Nate in the last few weeks.
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